Short & Sweet Snippets
by Daughterof8
Summary: A collection of short unrelated snippets that includes various characters, genres, pairings, etc.
1. They're the Disappearing Kind

**Instead of posting different snippets (which I define as stories around 1,000 words or less) that I write as separate entries, I decided that from now on I'll post them here as part of the same collection. So, this collection will include different genres and different characters, with some snippets being related to earlier ones. Hopefully this will make reading my stories easier for readers. :)**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Oh, and I'm not making any profit off of them. I also don't own the song "He Ain't the Leavin' Kind" by Rascal Flatts, from which the title was inspired in a roundabout way.  
**

**Prompt: Brian lost it.**

**Genre: Humor/Friendship**

**Pairings: None**

**Rating: K+**

**Summary: Jim finds out that Brian lost something he really shouldn't have.**

* * *

**They're the Disappearing Kind**

"You lost them?" Jim asked his best friend in astonishment.

Brian nodded his head grimly. "Yeah."

Jim groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Brian, please explain to me how you managed to lose them. They were right in this room with you when I left, and I only went out for two minutes to get the mail. How did they manage to leave?"

Brian shrugged. "I don't know, Jim. You know how they are."

Unfortunately, Jim _did _know how they were. "Did they seriously just up and walk out the door?"

"Yes." Brian furrowed his brow. "I came back from grabbing my phone from my room just when you walked in the door, and they were gone."

Jim sighed. "Well, do you at least have an idea of where they are? Did you hear them discussing anything?"

Brian shook his head ruefully. "Nope. They were surprisingly quiet. Maybe they just wanted to explore the college?"

"Great. It's not like there are a hundred places where they could have gone or anything," Jim replied sarcastically.

Brian snapped his fingers. "We can call them. They both have cell phones. And you know, this worrying is kind of pointless. I mean, they _are_ just a year or two younger than we are. They can take care of themselves."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that they _do _take care of themselves," Jim muttered as he pulled out his phone. "They can be as bad as Trixie and Honey."

"True," Brian admitted.

"Hey, Dan?" Jim said into the phone a few moments later. "Where are you guys?" Jim rolled his eyes at the answer. "Seriously?"

He turned to Brian. "Mart got hungry, so they went looking for some food. But it sounds like they managed to get lost." He spoke into the phone again. "Look, hang on and Brian and I will find you guys in a bit."

"You know, I always thought that Trixie would be the one that I would most have to worry about when she's an adult," Brian remarked as the two college boys left to go after their guests. "But now I'm thinking that Mart might be the more worrisome one. Honestly, sometimes I swear he only thinks with his stomach."

"Well, it's better that he thinks with his stomach than with another part of his anatomy," Jim commented offhandedly, smirking. He dodged the punch in the shoulder that Brian sent his way.

"You've definitely been spending way too much time with Dan recently," Brian muttered as they turned a corner and saw the two lost boys looking at them sheepishly**.**


	2. Sweet Dreams, Mart

**Disclaimer: I'm not the owner of the Trixie Belden characters or series and am not making any profit off of this story.  
**

**Prompt: Awkward sleeping arrangements  
**

**Genre: Humor/Family**

**Pairings: None**

**Rating: K**

**Summary: Trixie and Mart find themselves faced with an interesting decision.  
**

* * *

**Sweet Dreams, Mart**

"There's only one bed."

"Very astute observation, Trix," her brother replied dryly.

Trixie glared at him. "You know that you were thinking it, too."

Mart shrugged. "So? I, at least, didn't state the obvious."

Trixie rolled her eyes and let his comment pass. "How are we supposed to work this out? There's not even a couch that one of us could sleep on."

"Well, there is no way that I'm sharing a bed with you," Mart stated firmly. "I'd sooner sleep on the floor than with you."

Trixie grimaced. "Looks like you'll be doing just that."

"Who says that I have to be the one on the floor?"

Trixie smirked at him. "You just volunteered, remember?"

"I didn't volunteer," Mart argued. "I was simply making a comment."

"Fine, have it your way." Trixie sighed noisily and stuck her hand in the pocket of her jeans. A few moments later, her hand reemerged, holding a quarter. "We flip a coin."

Mart seemed to debate with himself before he reluctantly nodded his head. "I guess there's no other way to do it. I call tails."

Trixie flipped the coin in the air and then slapped it onto her left hand. The two of them crowded close to peer at the coin.

"Heads," Trixie declared triumphantly. "I get the bed."

Mart muttered a few choice words under his breath and then asked suspiciously, "That wasn't a trick coin, was it?"

"Would I do that to you?" Trixie replied innocently.

"Yes," Mart responded bluntly.

Trixie opened her mouth to protest, but then she smiled sheepishly. "Okay, I might do that to you. But I didn't this time. I promise this is a normal quarter."

Mart nodded in resignation. "All right." He paused, and then asked hopefully, "I don't suppose you happened to bring a sleeping bag?" His sister just gave him a look, and he sighed. "Yeah. I was afraid of that." He eyed the spot on the floor ruefully. "I'm in for a long night."


	3. No One to Stop Them

**Disclaimer: Don't own these characters! Nor do I own _Star Wars _or the line that I quoted from _A New Hope._  
**

**Prompt: The fake prompt "There is no prompt."  
**

**Genre: Humor/Friendship**

**Pairings: Mart/Diana, Brian/Honey, Jim/Trixie, Dan/Hallie  
**

**Rating: K+**

******Summary: A group of teens is up to something, but what exactly is that something?**

* * *

**No One to Stop Them**

"There will be no one to stop us this time," a dark-haired teenager declared solemnly to his friends.

"How can you be sure?" a blonde questioned. "They're pretty smart. And what do you mean by 'this time'? This is the first time we've attempted it."

The first teen sighed and rolled his eyes. "Dude, I was quoting _Star Wars_."

"Oh," the blonde responded sheepishly. "Well, it still didn't quite make sense."

"Minor detail, my friend. Minor detail."

The second teen frowned. "Well, actually—"

"Mart, that was your cue to, you know, _shut up,_" another voice jumped in. "There are times when we don't need to hear your long explanations for why this is this and that is that and yadda, yadda, yadda."

Mart huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine. Be like that. I'll just quit the operation and go inform the victims of your plot."

"Mart, please." A gentle hand was laid on his arm. "Calm down. Did you forget that we're all going to have pie when we're finished here?"

Mart's blue eyes lit up. "Right! Okay, never mind. I'm still in."

"Darn," muttered one of the others.

The dark-haired teen attempted to get them back on track. "All right, guys. Here they come. Are you ready?"

"I still wish Honey had been able to join us," sighed the curly-haired blond teenager. "It's a shame that she had to go with her parents."

The other female of the group quirked an eyebrow at her teasingly. "Are you sure you don't mean you wish _Jim _could have been part of this?"

The blonde ducked her head. "That, too."

The dark-haired teen rolled his eyes. "Please, you guys. They're going to come past us any minute now. Ready?"

"I am," Mart responded, tossing something up in the air and then catching it in his hand.

"Mart, you do realize that it would be hilarious if you were tossing that up and down in your hand and it popped?" his sister told him with a smirk.

Mart immediately stopped his action. "Right."

"Here they come," the violet-eyed female whispered. "Three . . . two . . . one . . . fire!"

At once, four water balloons were thrown at the couple coming down the path. Those balloons were immediately followed by four more as each of the teens hiding in the bushes threw another one.

"What the heck?" came the loud exclamation from the dark-haired victim who had paused and was now soaking wet.

"Sneaky. Very sneaky," his companion stated, narrowing her eyes. She, too, had been hit.

The dark-haired male who had been hiding behind a bush stood up and started toward the couple, throwing balloons at them as he went. "This is for all those times that you called Honey and me on our dates and told us to get home immediately!"

"Hey!" Dan protested. "In my defense, you only _thought _you were talking to Mr. Wheeler!"

"And this is for all those times that you recorded Jim and me when we were in a movie theater," the curly-haired female added as she, too, revealed herself.

"Dan, I _said _that you shouldn't have told them about that so soon," Hallie Belden remarked as she glared at her boyfriend.

"_You _were the one who recorded them!"

Mart and his dark-haired girlfriend were the last ones to come forth from the bushes. "And this, my friend and my cousin, is also for all those times that you two took turns ordering food to be sent to our table in restaurants."

"Yeah, do you know how awkward it is to have five plates of food on our table when it's only the two of us?" his girlfriend added, frowning at them.

"At least we didn't make you guys pay for the food," Dan and Hallie protested in unison.

"Thank goodness for small favors," Mart mumbled.

Two more balloons were chucked at the couple. "Why aren't we running?" Hallie asked Dan.

"Because," he started, and then he seemed to change his mind. "I don't know. Let's go!"

The other dark-haired male swapped a look with his brother, and as one, they shouted, "After them!"

The other two females also exchanged grins before following.


	4. All You Want to Do

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own these characters! Nor do I own the song "All I Want to Do" by Sugarland that inspired the title.  
**

**Prompt: A****ny and all words made from the phrase, "Jim and Trixie," which included meridian, intermix, inertia, martini, jinxed, taxmen, timid, denim, read, dirt, Jim, Trixie, Di, Dan and Mart**  


**Genre: Humor/Friendship**

**Pairings: Mentions Mart/Diana, but mostly Jim/Trixie  
**

**Rating: K+**

******Summary: Jim and Dan have an . . . _interesting_ . . . conversation. A sequel, of sorts, to "Under the Wrong Impression."  
**

* * *

**All You Want to Do**

"So, Jim," Dan started casually. "When are you going to work up the nerve to ask Trixie out?"

Dan heard Jim take in a sharp breath and nearly lose his footing as he strode through the aisle of the stables. "What?"

Dan snickered. "Oh, come on, Jim. You know it's all you want to do, and it's easy enough. You just go up to her and ask if she'd like to go out for drinks sometime, just the two of you. Martinis or margaritas or something."

Jim stopped and turned to look at Dan in astonishment. "What did you just say?" Before Dan had a chance to answer, Jim hurried on, "You know that Trixie is still underage, right? She's still a teenager!"

Dan smirked. "Well, yes, I knew that, but I wanted to catch your attention. Really, you've been much too timid with her, Jim."

Jim set down the bucket of water he was carrying and crossed his arms over his chest. "Much too timid?"

Dan pretended to wipe some dirt off of his dark denim jeans. "Well, yeah. It's obvious you've been wanting to go out with her for years. And it's just as obvious that she's wanted to go out with you for years."

Jim gaped at him. "What?" He shook his head as if to clear it. "How do you know you aren't reading her wrong?"

Dan rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. Anyone with half a brain can see how head over heels you two have been for each other since you first met."

Jim scowled. "Well, now even if she _were _interested in me, you're going to jinx it with all of your confident talk."

"Aha!" Dan exclaimed. "So you admit there's a possibility that she's interested. And you also admit that you're interested in her."

Jim ducked his head and turned back around. "I never said anything of the sort."

Dan sighed loudly. "If you can't get over your social inertia, she's going to be asked out by some guy who's a Mexican taxman who intermixes his Spanish and English, and she's going to say yes just because she's sick of waiting for you."

Jim slowly turned back around and gave Dan a weird look. "That was oddly specific."

Dan grinned devilishly at him. "What can I say? I have an imagination."

Jim snorted. "I would say so. I mean, you think that Trixie and I are going to get together soon."

"Look, Jim," Dan began, taking a few steps forward. "I don't mean to pressure you. I don't want to push you into doing something that you don't really want to do. But I just want you two to be happy, and as far as I can tell, you two will be happiest when you're together."

Jim raised a dubious eyebrow. "Really."

Dan shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean, look at Mart and Di. I swear, now that they're together, they are the two happiest people in the western hemisphere."

"Yeah, but everybody knew that they were going to get together eventually," Jim tried to argue. "It was obvious. That isn't the case for Trixie and me."

Dan just stared at him. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Uh, no," Jim said in confusion. "I'm not."

It was all Dan could do to stop himself from facepalming. "Dude! Everybody has been waiting for years for you and Trixie to get together! You guys are just as obvious, if not more so, as Di and Mart!"

Jim scoffed, but Dan could see his face turning red. "Right."

"No, really," Dan continued to insist. "Just do it."

"What about her brothers?" Jim abruptly switched gears. "And her dad? If we got together, I imagine they would try to kill me."

"You can't use them for an excuse anymore, Jim," Dan told him. "I mean, maybe when she was sixteen. Even seventeen. But she's nineteen – an adult now. They can't legally do anything to you." Dan paused, and then added mischievously, "Besides, if you love her, you'll do a lot more for her than put up with her brothers and her father."

Jim muttered some choice words under his breath, and then he said, "Maybe you're right."

Dan opened his mouth to respond to try to convince him further, but then he stopped and blinked in shock. "I'm . . . right?"

Jim nodded. "You are." He squared his shoulders. "I should ask her out."

Dan just looked at him in astonishment and then he grinned. "That's my man. Go ask her out."

Jim just nodded. "Just as soon as I—"

"James Winthrop Frayne the Second!" boomed an angry voice from outside the stables. "What did you do to my sister?!"


	5. I'd Lie

**Disclaimer: Random House owns these characters, not I. And Taylor Swift owns her song "I'd Lie" that helped inspire this snippet and its title.  
**

**Prompt: Lie  
**

**Genre: Friendship**

**Pairings: Hints at Brian/Honey and Jim/Trixie  
**

**Rating: K+**

**********Summary: Trixie shares some of her thoughts about Jim with Honey.**

* * *

**I'd Lie**

"I can't believe that the guys have to go back to college next week already," Trixie remarked almost forlornly as she flopped back onto her bed.

Honey was only slightly more graceful as she fell back onto the other bed in Trixie's room. "I know. I feel like summer just started."

"And then we have school starting only a week or two after they leave," Trixie continued sadly. "School . . . with teachers, smelly lockers, and homework . . ."

"School . . . with dances, friends, and boys . . ." Honey responded, her lips twitching in amusement.

Trixie wrinkled her nose. "I'm sorry, Honey, but no matter how hard you try, you're never going to find a way to make me enjoy school. Dances require dressing up, I get to see you and Di nearly every day even without going to school, and the only thing that the boys at school do is annoy me."

"How do they annoy you? Most of the boys at school aren't that bad," Honey pointed out, although she had a sneaking suspicion about why Trixie found the boys annoying. After all, Honey herself was in the same position as her friend.

Trixie sighed heavily. "They ask me out, and then I have to reject them. I don't like rejecting people, Honey. It makes me feel mean."

"Yeah, me too," Honey agreed ruefully. She flipped over so she was on her stomach facing Trixie. "Trix, what would you do if that one person asked you out, though? You'd say yes, right?"

Trixie gnawed on her lip and didn't bother asking Honey to clarify further. It was pretty clear to her what Honey meant by "that one person." "I don't know, Hon."

Honey sat up. "What do you mean you don't know?" she questioned, frowning. "I know that if I were to be asked out by Bri— by someone that I wanted to be asked out by—oh, Trixie, I'm just going to say it. If I were to be asked out by Brian, I would say yes without a second thought."

"And if I were to be asked out by Jim, I would want to say yes," Trixie quietly admitted, staring up at her ceiling. "It would take all I would have not to immediately agree. But he's in college, and I'm still in high school. I wouldn't want to tie him down to me."

"Oh." Honey tilted her head as she thought about that. "You know, that . . . that kind of makes sense."

"Gee, thanks," Trixie replied, looking over at her with a grin.

"No, you know what I mean," Honey gently chided her friend. "It's just that I understand it, and I hadn't thought about that." She paused, and then asked hesitantly, "So you're saying that you would lie to Jim?"

"It wouldn't really be lying. I would just be, you know, rejecting him," Trixie said with a sigh. "But . . . Honey, if he were to actually come out and ask me if I like him, or even love him . . ."

"Yeah?" Honey prompted softly when her friend didn't continue.

There was a long pause. "I'd lie."


	6. Happy Birthday, America

**Disclaimer: Despite the fact that I write about them, I don't own these characters.  
**

**Prompt: The Fourth of July (Independence Day in the United States)  
**

**Genre: Friendship**

**Pairings: Mentions Mart/Diana and hints at Brian/Honey  
**

**Rating: K+**

**********Summary: The BWGs hang out briefly after celebrating the Fourth of July.**

* * *

**Happy Birthday, America**

"Oh, man. I definitely ate too much food," Mart groaned as he clutched his stomach and flopped back against the couch. "Remind me never to do that again."

When he received no response from his fellow Bob-Whites, Mart temporarily forgot about his aching stomach and looked at the rest of the people in the room. He frowned when he saw them gaping at him. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Dan was the first one to find his voice. "Mart, dude. Not only have you not used any of your ridiculous words, but you've also just dissed food. You have to understand that this is a momentous occasion that may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We are trying to remember every moment of it."

Mart rolled his eyes and scoffed at him. "Yeah, right. Don't I always usually complain about food after big feasts? This time isn't any different."

"Oh, yes, it is," Brian jumped in. "In the past, you may have complained about food, but you always use your 'ridiculous words,' as Dan called them. This is the first time that you've sounded like a normal human being."

"Not that you _are _a normal human being," Trixie was quick to add, grinning as she said it.

"Of course he isn't. Mart is a very special person," Diana stated firmly, giving her boyfriend a loving glance.

Trixie somehow managed to keep a straight face as she muttered, "Oh, he's special all right."

They all fell silent for a few moments, and then Honey spoke up. "You know, I might love the displays that I've seen at other places, but I love the fireworks display here in Sleepyside the most," she remarked with a contented sigh. "Have I ever mentioned that to you guys?"

"Only every year since we moved to Sleepyside, but that's okay. The rest of us agree with you," Jim replied.

"Yeah, Sleepyside's great. I'm glad that there are still some good places like it left in America," Dan commented nonchalantly.

Trixie's eyes darted over to him. "What do you mean, _some _good places? All of America is great!"

"Yeah, well, it sure didn't seem like it at times," Dan mumbled to himself. He raised his voice as he continued, "Yeah, America is great. I'm just saying, though, that at least Sleepyside isn't overrun with crime like some other places are."

Brian raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Dan? Have you forgotten the number of criminals that Trixie has caught in Sleepyside?"

"No. Well, okay, I kind of did," Dan admitted sheepishly. "But maybe that's why it seems like there isn't as much crime. Trixie has taken care of all of it!"

Trixie sniffed and tossed her curls over her shoulder as she shot a pointed look at Dan. "Trixie could also take care of a certain somebody in this room if he doesn't watch his mouth."

"Trix, it's just weird when you talk about yourself in third-person. Please don't," Mart said without opening his eyes from where they had closed earlier.

"_Dan _is the one who started the teasing," Trixie protested, albeit not very strongly. "I just had to make sure to put a stop to it before it really began."

"Well, I think I'm going to put a stop to your arguing before it can really begin," Brian interjected, yawning. "Guys, it's after midnight. I think I need to go to bed."

"Aw, are you getting too old to stay up so late?" Mart teased his older brother.

Brian gave him a dirty look. "No. Unlike some people, I happen to like waking up in the morning before noon, and that's not going to happen if I stay up much later."

Honey uncurled herself from where she had been leaning against Brian. "Going to bed doesn't sound like a bad idea. I think that I'm going to fall asleep if I stay here much longer."

"I'm sure Brian wouldn't mind that at all," Diana murmured to Trixie, who barely refrained from snorting.

"I heard that," Brian said with an admonishing glance at the girls. "Anyway, are the rest of you coming, too?"

The other Bob-Whites chimed in their agreement. As they all stood up and began making their way to the bedrooms of the oldest Belden kids, Dan just had to say, "I hope you guys didn't take what I said earlier the wrong way. I really do love America. It's great, and I'm proud of where we've come to be."

"I think we're all proud, Dan. How can we not be? We started as thirteen rebellious colonies, and now we've become a powerful fifty united states under God," Honey told him. "I think it's pretty amazing myself, and I love how everybody around the country enjoys celebrating that."

"I'm proud to be an American, too," Mart added. Then he yawned. "But can we continue discussing our national pride later this morning? I'm looking forward to falling into my bed."

"Weren't you the one who teased Brian earlier for going to bed early?" Trixie asked innocently.

Mart glared at her, but Brian interfered before he could make a comment. "Good night, guys."

The rest of them also said good night as the girls headed to Trixie's room and guys headed to Mart and Brian's room. After saying his good nights, Dan couldn't help but add, "And happy birthday, America. I'm happy to be part of you."


	7. Someday

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Trixie characters, but I do own Joey Delanoy. I also don't own the children's television show _Sesame Street._  
**

**Prompt: Sand, paper, or sandpaper  
**

**Genre: Friendship**

**Pairings: Jim/Trixie  
**

**Rating: K**

**********Summary: Jim and Trixie babysit little Joey Delanoy while his parents are out.  
**

* * *

**Someday**

"Can you please remind me why I thought this was a good idea?" Trixie moaned, briefly dropping her head into her hands.

"You thought it would be nice if Celia and Tom could go out on their anniversary, so you offered to babysit little Joey for them," Jim reminded her with a small grin. "You were trying to be nice, and you also thought it would be a nice time for the two of us to spend together."

Trixie sighed at his words. "Yeah, but that was a few hours ago. I had apparently forgotten what terrors little children can be." She gave her boyfriend a pained look. "Why didn't you remind me of those years spent with Bobby before I offered?"

Jim raised a brow in amusement. "Shamus, I _did _remind you. I asked you about three times if you were sure about this – partly because I wanted to be sure that Tom and Celia were okay with me being here with you, but also because I happen to remember those years with Bobby and how much you complained."

"You remember how much I complained?" Trixie pretended to pout. "You aren't supposed to remember stuff like that."

"Ah, but Trix, I remember everything about you," Jim told her sweetly. "I can't help it."

"Uh-huh," she replied dryly with a twinkle of amusement in her blue eyes. "And I suppose you remember which dessert I ordered a few weeks ago when we went out to eat together."

Jim hesitated. "You got strawberry pie, right?"

"Wrong." Trixie made the sound of a buzzer. "That was one of the only times in my life when I decided to have cherry pie instead of strawberry."

"Oh." Jim cringed. "Well, I remember the important things about you."

"Yeah, and considering that apparently one of those important things is how much I complained about Bobby, that doesn't make me feel much better," Trixie told him, giggling a little.

"No, that _is _important," Jim argued. "See? If I hadn't remembered that, I would be surprised at your lack of enthusiasm for watching Joey."

Trixie just gave him a dirty look.

Three-year-old Joey Delanoy chose that moment to walk out of the bathroom, trying to button his pants. "I need help."

Trixie crouched down in front of him. "How do you ask nicely?"

Joey looked at her with his big blue eyes. "Please."

Trixie smiled. "Good job." She helped him with his pants and didn't notice how tenderly Jim was watching her as she did so. "What do you want to do now?"

Joey tilted his head thoughtfully. "I wanna play hide-and-seek!"

Trixie barely refrained from wrinkling her nose in disgust. Instead, she tried to gently reason with him. "Joey, Jim and I already played hide-and-seek with you for a while earlier. Is there something else you would like to do with us?"

Joey chewed on his lip for a bit before his eyes lit up. "Tag! I wanna play tag!"

"Uh, I don't think your parents would appreciate it if they came home to a destroyed house," Trixie tried to tactfully refuse. "Tag isn't really an indoor game."

"Aw. But nobody ever plays tag with me," Joey whined, his face falling.

Trixie desperately tried to think of something fun for him to do so she wouldn't have to keep looking at those crestfallen little eyes. "Well, how would you like to watch a movie?"

Joey frowned a little, but he apparently decided that was a good option, for he smiled and nodded his head happily. "Yeah! And I wanna watch Big Bird and Elmo and Ernie!"

"_Sesame Street_ it is," Trixie murmured, going over to look at the Delanoys' collection of movies and praying that they had a _Sesame Street_ one. Sure enough, they had a few.

Trixie glanced at the clock and realized that it was going to be Joey's bedtime pretty soon. "Okay, Joey, you can watch this movie for thirty minutes. Then it's going to be time for bed."

Joey didn't look too happy at that, but he reluctantly nodded his head. "Okay, Trixie."

Trixie breathed an internal sigh of relief, glad that she wouldn't have to fight the bedtime battle just yet. "Great."

She quickly put in the movie and helped Joey get settled in his beanbag to watch it. Then she plopped down on the couch next to Jim, who had taken a seat there earlier.

"Nice job, Trix," he murmured in her ear, sliding his arm around her shoulders and pulling her tight against him.

She glanced up at him. "Nice job of what?"

"Of, you know, talking with him," he explained. "Negotiating with him."

Trixie brushed off the praise. "That was easy, Jim. That wasn't anything special."

"But it was," Jim insisted. "You say that you don't always like taking care of children, yet you're so good at it. I can't wait to see how you'll be with your own children someday."

Trixie was about to deny being good with children when she suddenly realized what he had just said. She couldn't help but wonder if he saw himself as being the father of her future children, and the thought made her cheeks go red. Keeping her head down so he wouldn't see, she focused on the TV, where a character was demonstrating compound words by saying, "Sand. Paper. Sandpaper."

Jim either didn't notice her sudden silence or else he chose not to comment on it. Instead, his hold tightened on her, and she leaned into him as they continued watching the children's TV show with their young charge.

"Jim?"

"Yeah, Trix?"

There was a slight pause, and then Trixie said softly, "You're going to be a great father someday, too."


	8. Algebra Minutes

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own these characters.  
**

**Prompt: Minute  
**

**Genre: Family/Friendship**

**Pairings: None  
**

**Rating: K**

**********Summary: Mart helps Trixie with some of her math homework.  
**

* * *

**Algebra Minutes**

"Argh! This is so stupid!" Trixie scowled at the practice problems in her math textbook. "Where am I going wrong?"

She once again compared her answer to the one that was in the book and still came up blank. She was missing _something _in the problem, but she couldn't figure out exactly what. Here she'd thought she was finally on her way to understanding polynomials, when _this _had to be thrown at her.

"Troubles, Trix?" came an amused voice from her doorway.

"Shut up, Mart," she growled in response, annoyed that she'd forgotten to close her bedroom door. "Unless you know how to do polynomial long division, go away and leave me in peace."

"Polynomial long division?" Mart repeated incredulously. "Math? Why are you working on math on a Friday?"

"For once I was going to do some of my homework early and not save it all for Sunday night so I can enjoy this weekend with Brian and Jim," Trixie snapped back, running a hand through her sandy ringlets in frustration. "But then these problems decided to be stupid."

"Only with Brian and Jim? Gosh, Trix, I understand that they're going to be home from college, but that doesn't mean you need to leave the rest of us out," Mart replied mischievously.

Trixie clenched her jaw and turned a harsh glare on her brother. "Go away."

Mart briefly considered heckling her some more, but he quickly disregarded the idea when he saw the extent of her ire on her face. However, instead of leaving, he entered her room and came over to her desk.

"I told you to go away!"

He frowned at her. "Relax, Trix. I want to see what you're working on to see if I can help."

Trixie was obviously caught by surprise. "You do?"

"Sure." He shrugged and grinned. "I don't _always _try to annoy you."

"Could have fooled me," Trixie muttered.

Mart leaned over her shoulder and studied the problems in her book for a moment before remarking, "Hey, I remember this."

"Good. Does that mean you can figure out what I'm doing wrong in this problem?" Trixie held up her notebook and showed him the problem that she was trying to figure out.

He took it from her and skimmed it over. He furrowed his brow. "How do you know that you're doing it wrong?"

Trixie sighed and shoved the textbook closer to him. "Because that's just a practice problem that isn't graded, which means that the answer is in the book."

"Oh." Mart tore his attention away from her notebook and looked at the textbook. Then he looked back at the notebook. "Oh! I found the problem."

"You did?" Trixie asked eagerly. "Where is it?"

"It's one of those minute details that you have to watch out for in math," he told her. He pointed to her own workings of the problem. "You've been adding instead of subtracting."

Trixie glanced at her work and then at him blankly. "What?"

"Right here, see? You've been adding the numbers together when you're actually supposed to subtract," Mart explained. "It's just like in division with numbers. You subtract to cancel out the first term."

"But . . ." Trixie trailed off. She peered at her paper with the utmost concentration. "But my teacher said you could add the opposites, too."

"You can," Mart said patiently. "That would have worked if you'd remembered the opposites. You've just been adding what's there."

Trixie bit her lip as she thought about what she said, and then she finally realized what he was saying. "Oh! So, right here, instead of adding negative three and negative five together to get negative eight, you subtract and get two?"

Mart nodded his head. "Yep. You've got it."

"Really?" Trixie looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah."

"Wow. Cool. I can't believe that I'm actually understanding math."

Mart snickered. "You and me both."

"I knew you would eventually have to revert back to your annoying self," Trixie responded, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, well, what can I say? Anyway, do you think you can do the rest of those problems now?" Mart questioned.

Trixie hesitated briefly and then nodded. "I think so. As long as that was the only mistake I was making, I should be okay."

"I think it was. Wanna do another problem by yourself just in case that wasn't it?" Mart offered, deciding that he could stick around a little longer since didn't have anything else of major importance to do.

Trixie threw him a rueful glance. "Would you mind waiting?"

"Nah. Unless you're planning on taking hours on it."

"Funny," Trixie muttered.

The almost-twins fell silent as Trixie worked through another math problem on her own. A few minutes later, she held up her notebook in triumph. "I got the right answer!"

"All right, Trix!" Mart held up his hand and she gave him a high five. "Now since you've mastered the concepts, I'm out of here. Have fun."

Trixie scowled at him. "Thanks."

"You are welcome, my dear sister," he replied, grinning at her as he left the room.

Trixie just shook her head and turned back to her homework, hiding a smile.


	9. We Are Never Getting Back Together

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters and am not making any profit off of them. I also don't own the song that inspired this - "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift.  
**

**Prompt: Breakup songs; to be specific, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift  
**

**Genre: Drama/Friendship**

**Pairings: Trixie/?  
**

**Rating: K+**

**********Summary: Trixie discusses her recent breakup with Honey and Diana.  
**

* * *

**We Are Never Getting Back Together**

"So, you guys are broken up for good this time?" Diana asked Trixie curiously.

Trixie rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Yes, we are. I don't know why I even stayed with him for so long, but it's definitely over now."

"Really?" Honey inquired. "Didn't you say a few weeks ago that you guys were permanently broken up, but then you got back together a week later?"

Trixie scowled. "No, I simply said we'd broken up, and I'd hoped it was for good that time. I never said that it _was _for good."

"Oh," Honey replied simply.

Diana frowned thoughtfully. "You know, whenever you guys have broken up, hasn't it always been him who's done the breaking up?"

"Yep," Trixie answered, taking a swig of her pop. "And he's always been the one who comes crawling back to me."

"Why?" Honey asked, sounding bewildered. "I mean, not that I don't know why he comes back to you. You're one of the most fabulous people that I know, you know? He'd be crazy to not come back to you. But . . . why? Why does he keep breaking up with you and then coming back? It doesn't make sense."

"I know," Trixie responded, her blue eyes twinkling. "It's very mysterious."

Diana snickered. "It figures that you'd manage to work that word in there somewhere."

"Ha, very funny," Trixie retorted. Then she turned serious. "Honey, I don't really know what's up with him. I just know that we're done. We're nevergetting back together."

"What makes you so sure that this is the final time?" Diana wanted to know. "Not that I'm doubting you. But what's so different about this time?"

Trixie tossed her a grin. "Oh, trust me, it's different."

"But how?" Honey furrowed her brow. "I just can't see . . ."

"Honey, as Di pointed out earlier, _he _has been the one who has initiated all the other breakups," Trixie explained. She smirked. "This time, _I'm _the one who broke up with _him_."

They both stared at her, and then they both slowly started to smile. "You finally got sick of him, huh?" Diana said knowingly.

"Yep," Trixie answered cheerfully. She pulled her phone out of her pocket as she felt it vibrate. Glancing at it, she raised her eyebrows and smirked before shoving it back in her pocket. "And he can talk to his friends, and to my friends, and even to me, but we are never _ever_ getting back together."


	10. Cinnamon Roll Rage

**Disclaimer: No, really, I don't own these people.  
**

**Prompt: Temper  
**

**Genre: Humor/Drama**

**Pairings: Mentions Jim/Trixie  
**

**Rating: K**

**********Summary: Mart is upset when he thinks that there aren't any cinnamon rolls left.  
**

* * *

**Cinnamon Roll Rage**

"Morning, sleepyhead," Trixie greeted her brother cheerfully as he plodded into the kitchen, yawning.

Mart glanced at her with a hint of irritation in his eyes. "Why are you so perky? You're normally just as grumpy as I am in the mornings."

Trixie smiled sweetly at him. "First of all, it's Friday. Secondly, I'm staying over at Honey's tonight. Thirdly, I heard that we're going to get Mr. Freeman in math today as a sub. And, lastly, my favorite brother and my boyfriend are coming home this weekend. There's simply no reason for me to be grumpy." She paused, and then added ruefully, "Plus, I went to bed early last night."

Mart only half-listened to her. He wondered briefly why she was spending the night at Honey's, but then he decided it must have something to do with Jim coming. Then he realized who she said was going to be her substitute teacher. "You get Freeman today?"

"Yep," she answered smugly. "Which means no math for us since he's usually pretty clueless about the day's lesson. Yay!"

"Lucky," Mart muttered, walking over to the oven. He saw that Trixie had a cinnamon roll in front of her, and he couldn't wait to get his hands on his own.

He was shocked when he opened the oven and saw that it was empty. "What?!"

Trixie had been watching him, and now her eyes danced with amusement. "What's what?"

"There's nothing in there!" Mart sputtered.

Trixie felt her lips twitch. "Uh-huh."

"But—you—why don't I get a cinnamon roll?!" Mart exclaimed indignantly.

"Who said that we get cinnamon rolls?"

Mart scowled at her. "Don't play dumb, Trixie. I can see that you're finishing one right now."

"Oh. Right," Trixie replied, glancing down at her plate.

Mart waited for a few seconds, and then he prodded, "Well?"

"Well . . ." Trixie repeated in confusion. Then she remembered his question. "Oh. I don't know. I just grabbed one that was in the pan."

Mart attempted to clutch his short blond hair in his hands. "Why, oh why, is this happening to me?"

Trixie snickered. "Mart, my dear almost-twin, it's just a cinnamon roll. You can always eat something else."

Mart rounded on her, and she could see that his blue eyes were flashing angrily. "Trixie, maybe you don't understand, but I can't just 'eat something else.' I came in here and saw that you had a cinnamon roll, so naturally, I assumed that I would get one. That means that all that I've been thinking about for the past two minutes is how good a cinnamon roll is going to be. I can't just decide to eat something else when I got my heart set on a cinnamon roll. That would mean betraying both my heart and all cinnamon rolls everywhere." He scoffed. "Not to mention that the idea of eating something else is ridiculous."

She stared at him in bemusement. "Okay, fine, whatever. Don't eat something else. Go hungry for the morning."

"Gah! Now _why _would you say something like that?" Mart cried. "The mere thought of going without sustenance for the morning is ludicrous!"

Trixie groaned and rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless. Fine, do whatever you want. Why should I care?"

"You're no help at all," Mart grumbled.

"I never meant to be," Trixie retorted as she got up and placed her dishes in the sink. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go finish getting ready for school."

"What am I going to do?" Mart moaned to himself after his sister had left the room. "I'll be doomed if I do eat something else, and I'll be doomed if I don't eat something else."

"Good morning, Mart," his mother greeted him as she strode into the kitchen. "Why are you just standing there?"

"Oh, Moms," Mart said in anguish. "There are no more cinnamon rolls left!"

She gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean? Surely Trixie couldn't have eaten all of them."

"Well, apparently she has, because there are no more in the oven," Mart responded.

"Yes, there are no more in the oven." Mrs. Belden paused. "But there are some in the microwave."

It took Mart a moment to process what she said, and then all he could do was gape at her. "What?"

"I moved them to the microwave," Mrs. Belden answered, determined not to show her amusement. "There should still be plenty left."

Mart stared at her for a few more moments, and then he made a mad dash toward the microwave. Sure enough, inside there were several more cinnamon rolls. "Oh, what a relief." He reached in and grabbed one of them, sticking part of it in his mouth without bothering to get out a plate.

"Mart, use a plate and fork," his mother admonished him. "You aren't an animal."

Mart moaned with pleasure as he swallowed. "You don't understand, Moms. There were a few heart-stopping moments where I thought the worst. I needed to taste them to be sure they were real."

Mrs. Belden just lifted a brow. "Whatever you say, dear."


	11. Wrong Words

**Disclaimer: Don't own these characters and most likely never will.  
**

**Prompt: Someone just got dumped  
**

**Genre: Humor/Drama**

**Pairings: Jim/Trixie, kind of  
**

**Rating: K+**

**********Summary: Dan makes an attempt at consoling Jim after a breakup.  
**

* * *

**Wrong Words**

"Come on, man." Dan lightly punched his friend in the shoulder. "She's just a girl. She's not worth all this."

A blond-haired head shot up across the room. "Watch it, Mangan, that's my sister you're talking about."

Dan cringed. "Oh, yeah." Despite having never met Mart's only sister, Dan had still heard enough about her that he should have been more careful about what he was saying. "Sorry."

"You should be," Jim mumbled despairingly, his face buried in his hands.

"Hey, I was trying to cheer you up," Dan defended himself. "It's not my fault that you strangely chose to date the sister of one of your good friends."

"Two of his good friends, actually. You forgot about Brian," Mart called from the kitchen of the apartment.

Jim lifted his head and glared at Dan. "It was not 'strange' of me to date Trixie. That was one of the best decisions of my life."

Dan blinked and rubbed his head. "Are you sure? Because from what I'm seeing right now, this girl doesn't seem to be worth it if she took your heart and stomped on it this hard." He squeezed his eyes shut as soon as the words came out of his mouth, immediately regretting them as he remembered Mart in the kitchen.

"Oh, that's it," Mart muttered, stuffing one last bite of ice cream in his mouth before setting the container down and striding purposefully over to where Dan stood in the living room.

Jim stood up next to Mart and the two of them glared at Dan icily. "Take that back _right now _or you're going down, Mangan. And I'm sure that Mart here would gleefully aid me with that."

Dan held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, stumbling back until the back of his shins were pressed against the couch. "Sorry, sorry, sorry. I didn't mean it. Well, I kind of did, but not really about your sister, Mart. It was only about the girl that crushed Jim, not about the girl herself. You know?" He groaned and made a pained face. "I'm not really doing a great job of cheering you up, am I, Jim?"

Jim looked at him flatly. "_That's _what you're trying to do?"

Mart rolled his eyes. "Could've fooled me."

"Sorry, okay? I really am. I shouldn't pass judgment until I've actually met Trixie." Dan grimaced. "I think I'll just stop talking now."

"Fine with me," Jim replied, turning around and heading to his bedroom.

"Me, too," Mart added. But then his eyes narrowed. "Let me just make one thing clear, though. You do realize the only reason I haven't completely pounded on you is because you're my best friend and this is only the first offense?" Dan nodded somewhat weakly. "Good, 'cause talk about my sister like that again and you're dead."

"Sir, yes, sir," Dan made an attempt at humor. He quickly backtracked when he saw Mart's dark look. "Too far? Okay. Right. Sorry. I understand."

"Good."


	12. Misunderstandings

**Disclaimer: Don't own these characters, as usual. Nor do I own _Star Wars _or the line that I quoted from _Emp__ire Strikes Back._  
**

**Prompt: I'm sorry  
**

**Genre: Drama/Friendship**

**Pairings: Jim/Trixie  
**

**Rating: K+**

**********Summary: Jim has to clear a few things up with Trixie.  
**

* * *

**Misunderstandings**

"So, have you said yes to Amelia yet?"

Trixie paused as she heard the question come from her older brother. Furrowing her brow and peering around the corner into the kitchen, she listened to the other person's response.

"Yes, I have," came Jim's dry reply. "And we're going out on Saturday night."

Trixie missed the sarcasm in his voice and instead only heard his words. She reeled back as their meaning sunk in. Jim was going out? On Saturday night? The night of her _birthday?_

She didn't stick around to hear Brian's response and instead took off toward the door of the house, muttering under breath about boys the whole way.

Back in the kitchen, Jim paused as he thought he heard something. "Did you hear that?"

Brian frowned. "What? No, I di—"

He was interrupted by the sound of a slamming door. Both boys looked at each other in confusion; as far as they'd known, nobody else had been in the house.

Jim walked curiously over the window and caught of glimpse of blond curls rushing away. He thought back over his earlier words. "Oh, crap."

"What?" Brian joined him by the window and looked out, but by then Trixie had sped out of sight.

"Oh, _crap,"_ Jim groaned, running a hand through his hair. "My last words. My last words had been something sarcastic about saying yes to going out with Amelia. Trixie must have heard that."

Brian frowned. "Why wouldn't she have heard the sarcasm in your voice? And why wouldn't she have stuck around to hear the rest of the conversation? And why wouldn't she trust you—"

"Brian, this is _Trixie _we're talking about," Jim reminded him with a pained look on his face. "Trixie Belden, the girl who once thought there was a unicycling poacher in the preserve because she jumped to conclusions without thinking it through. Would she have stuck around to hear the rest of the conversation?"

"Well, she's naturally inquisitive," Brian argued. "I would have thought that she would have been curious about the rest of the conversation."

"Yeah, or she would have gotten mad and stormed off," Jim retorted. He sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. In any case, I need to go after her, Brian." He shot a glare at his best friend. "And please stop teasing me about Amelia. You've been around Mart and Dan way too much."

Without waiting for a response, Jim quickly left the house. He wasn't completely sure which way Trixie would have gone, but judging from the direction that she'd been going earlier, he guessed that she had headed up the path to Manor House.

He jogged up the hill and was able to see that Trixie was just about to walk into the mansion. "Trix! Wait!"

He saw her hesitate before turning around. He quickly caught up to her and stood in front of her. "Trixie, I'm sorry."

She raised a brow. "Sorry for what?"

"Sorry that you misheard a part of the conversation between your brother and me," Jim replied bluntly.

Trixie stared at him. "I didn't mishear. I heard perfectly clear that you've made plans to go out with a college girl on Saturday."

Jim sighed. "Yes, Trix, you did hear that. What I meant to say is that you misunderstood." He looked her in the eye and took her hands in his. "I was being sarcastic, Trix. I didn't seriously mean that I was going with Amelia."

Trixie looked at him guardedly. "Are you sure, Jim? I know that I'm still just a high school girl, after all . . ."

Jim's eyes narrowed at her. "Yes, Trixie, I'm sure. If I weren't sure, I wouldn't be here trying to make up with you, would I?"

Trixie had been on the verge of softening, but his words fired her right back up and made her yank her hands out of his. "I don't know, Jim. _Are _you trying to make up with me?"

"Of course I am!" Jim snapped at her. "Trixie, it's _you _that I want to go out with. Not Amelia, and not some other college girl. I don't know why you insist on questioning that."

"And I don't know how you can say that you want to go out with me when you keep arguing with me!" Trixie retorted.

Jim ran a hand through his red hair and sighed. "I do want to go out with you, and I don't want to argue with you. I just wish that you would trust that I'm not interested in anyone else." He paused, but then added before she could reply, "Don't you think it's hard for me to trust that you aren't interested in some other guy?"

Trixie opened her mouth, but no words came out. She stopped and thought about what he said. "I didn't . . . I never thought of that. But that doesn't make any sense, Jim. Why would somebody else be interested in me?"

Jim stared at her. "I think a better question is why _wouldn't _somebody be interested in you? You're smart, you're funny, you're pretty, you're caring, you're kind, you're helpful . . . the list goes on and on."

Trixie had started blushing after the first sentence was out of his mouth, and now she looked away from him in embarrassment. "I'm not all that, Jim."

"You are all that and more to me, Trix," Jim told her. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her, gently kissing her mouth.

After their kiss had ended, Trixie laid her head on his chest and took her time responding. "Jim, I'm not going to leave you for some other guy, you know, if you're worried about that," she remarked softly. "Trust that you're the one I want, and I'll try to trust that I'm the one you want."

"Do or do not. There is no try," Jim quoted, making Trixie giggle.

"Fine, then. I'll _do _my best to trust you," Trixie corrected.

"That's better. And I'll do the same for you, too."

Jim couldn't see it, but he felt her smile happily against him. "Good."


	13. Trixie's Diary

**Disclaimer: ****I need to start thinking of more creative ways to say this. Seriously, I don't own these characters. Oh, and I'm not making money off of them, either.**  


**Prompt: Diary  
**

**Genre: Drama/Romance**

**Pairings: Jim/Trixie  
**

**Rating: K+**

**********Summary: Trixie writes about her feelings about the events that happened in "The Awkward Silence." Yes, this is a sequel.  
**

**********A/N: This is the last of the daily updates for now. From now on this story/collection will be updated occasionally whenever I've written a new snippet. So . . . sometimes you might get snippets within days of each other, while other times months might pass between posted snippets. Hopefully I can at least somewhat regularly update this, but no promises. Thanks to all who have read and/or reviewed!**

**********Also, if you ever have an idea for a snippet or even a full-length story, feel free to suggest it to me via review or PM. If it intrigues me, I might just have to write it. :)**

* * *

**Trixie's Diary**

_**June 23**_

Dear Diary,

Today I said the _stupidest _thing. I mean, I don't think even _Mart _has ever said anything more stupid than what I said today, and that's saying something. Do you know how many stupid things he's done or said? I could go on and on about it. I mean, there was the time that he accidentally called Diana a disease, and the time that he teased Brian about Honey in front of Honey, and then there was the time when he said in front of Jim and Dan that sometimes he wished he were an orphan (although in his defense, later we found out he hadn't been sleeping well and he was actually pretty sick when he said that) . . . yeah, he's said some stupid things.

But back to the matter at hand. I somehow managed to top him when it came to stupid statements, and I wasn't even trying! I think what I said was more stupid than all of Mart's stupid statements combined. I mean, I _knew _that Jim didn't have strictly platonic (do you like that word?) feelings for me, thanks to, well, lots of things, but I didn't have to go and blurt it out like that!

You see, Jim and I were arguing about something or another earlier today. I can't even remember exactly what now, but I'm guessing it probably about my safety again. Sigh. I appreciate his concern and all, but honestly – does he have to lecture me on it _all _the time?

On the other hand, it's really nice sometimes to have him worrying about me . . .

Anyway, so we were arguing, and at some point I blurted out, "It's not like you have any latent romantic feelings for me or anything, so what gives?" (that entire sentence is probably going to be permanently etched into my memory for the rest of my life)

He stuttered a bit, and I'm sure that my face was beet red, but just as he was about to say something, my almost-twin just _had _to barge into the stables. Seriously, he has some great timing sometimes. I don't know how he does it.

He marched in and asked what was up, and all Jim and I could do was groan. I think I covered my face with my hands, too. Mart gave both of us a strange look, and I'm sure he was wondering what we had been talking about, but there was _no way _that either of us was going to tell him. He just shrugged after a bit and told me that it was time for dinner. I told him okay and then stared at him, hoping he would get the hint to leave us alone, but he didn't. Argh. He can be so dense sometimes.

I ended up saying goodbye to Jim and going home with Mart. I had been hoping that I'd somehow get a chance to talk to Jim again that evening, but unfortunately I didn't. Now it's late at night and I'm supposed to be sleeping, but I just had to write about this before heading to bed.

I don't know what's going to happen next between Jim and me, but I hope that my stupid statement isn't going to do anything to hurt out friendship. Even if I may have some, um, romantic feelings toward him, he's more than just my crush. He's one of my best friends, and I don't want to lose that.

* * *

_**June 24**_

UPDATE: I talked to Jim this afternoon our Bob-White meeting. Well, it wasn't really a meeting, exactly, it more just all of us hanging out together. In any case, when we needed to leave, Jim grabbed my hand and said that he wanted to talk to me. I was absolutely terrified – even though by that point I'd realized it was unlikely our friendship would suffer that much from my statement, I was still nervous about what he was going to say. I mean, who wouldn't?

So after the others had left (and Brian had shot a menacing look at Jim), Jim looked at me, somewhat nervously, I think, if I was identifying the emotion in his eyes correctly. He didn't let go of my hand as he said, "So, uh, Trix, I was thinking about what you said yesterday."

I expected him to say more, but when he stopped there and was silent for ten seconds, I got anxious. "Uh-huh. I've been thinking about that too, actually."

He bit his lip. "You have?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I paused. "It wasn't exactly easy to—"

"You were right," he blurted out.

I think I blinked at him in confusion.

"Er, well, maybe not right, exactly," he hedged, glancing away from me. "But your statement? About me having . . . feelings for you? I know you meant it sarcastically, but you were actually right."

"I was right?" I echoed. Gleeps, looking back at this conversation, I must have really sounded stupid. As if saying something stupid the day before wasn't enough.

"Yes, Trix, you were right." He swallowed. "I _do _have, as you put it, 'latent romantic feelings' for you. And I'm sorry that I never said anything before, but, well—"

"You have _feelings _for me?" I exclaimed. Good grief. Maybe I should just stop here and tell you about the outcome of the conversation to spare you from my unending stupidity. Honestly, why did I act so surprised? It wasn't like I'd been completely in the dark about Jim.

Jim turned red and smiled a bit (was he amused by my reaction? Or was he just happy to finally be telling me this? Argh, boys). "Yeah, Trix, I do."

I think I must have stared at him in shock for a while, because eventually he started to look nervous again. "Trixie?"

"What does that mean?" Oh gleeps, it's official. I must have been the stupidest person that Jim had ever talked to. And it only got worse. "I mean, I know what that _means, _like what romantic means, but what does that mean for you? I mean, why are you telling me this? What do you want to do now?"

Poor Jim, having to put up with me.

Jim looked at me for a bit – I still don't know exactly why – and then he said, "Well, Trix, what this means depends on you."

"Me?"

"How you feel and what you want to do about it."

"I . . ." I hesitated. I actually stopped to think before saying anything for once; impressive. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No, I mean, I _do _know, just not completely. No, that didn't come out right. What I mean is I think I'm in love with you, but I don't actually know that for sure, but I do know that I have feelings for you, too, and I'd really like to do something about that especially since you say you have feelings for me, too, but I don't know what you want to do, and—"

I'm sure that's not exactly what I said, and I'm sure I had some pauses and stumbles in there, but I think you get the point. I turned into a babbling mess.

Amazingly enough, Jim didn't seem to mind. He just grinned at me and grabbed my hands. Well, other hand. He hadn't let go of the one from before.

"Trixie." I think I immediately stopped talking when he said that. Also, now that I'm thinking about it, did Jim actually sound amused when he said my name? "You have feelings for me, too?"

Luckily, I stuck with a one-word answer. "Yes."

"In that case . . . would you want to go out sometime, just the two of us?"

I probably grinned at him as I answered, "Yeah."

So, well, that was pretty much our conversation. Sure, we talked a little more, but it wasn't too important (read as: I don't remember what was said due to being distracted by thoughts of our date. Yes, I _can _act like a girl sometimes, thank you very much). Then we each went our own way back home.

Okay, it's after ten now, so I should really be getting to bed. But I just want to say one more thing before saying good night. Remember yesterday how I said that my blurted out statement was the stupidest thing I've ever said? Well, I have to revise that. I mean, it _did _end up leading to Jim and I going out on a date (which is on Saturday, by the way), after all. So now that previously stupid statement may very well be the smartest thing that I've ever said in my life.

Fine, maybe not the smartest. But it's close.


End file.
